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This week could turn out to be a major turning point in Diamond Sports Group’s bankruptcy proceedings, one that could significantly influence how baseball games are broadcast — not just now, but well into the future.

Diamond failed to pay the San Diego Padres before the end of its grace period Tuesday, a monumental development that will prompt Major League Baseball to take over the team’s broadcasts moving forward.

Soon, more teams could find the same fate.

On Wednesday in Houston, a bankruptcy judge will preside over Diamond’s claims that it should essentially pay lesser rights fees to the Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Guardians to account for market forces that have greatly diminished the traditional cable model in recent years. (Diamond initially missed its rights payments to those four teams and was ultimately forced to pay 50% of what it owes them in the weeks leading up to the hearing.)

The judge’s ruling, which should come by Thursday night at the latest, will play a big role in determining which other contracts Diamond sheds, if any. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred will be among those testifying. With that milestone ahead, here’s a look at the current regional sports networks (RSN) situation of a few other teams across sports.


Why the Padres takeover happened so fast

Diamond, which airs broadcasts under the name Bally Sports, owns the rights to 14 major league teams. Eight of them are included as part of the company’s bankruptcy filing, so their unraveling would likely require weeks in the courts. The six that aren’t — partly because the teams own an equity stake, making them joint ventures that operate as separate legal entities — are the Padres, Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins and Kansas City Royals.

Those teams operate outside of the bankruptcy proceedings, so their paths are relatively straightforward — if Diamond misses a rights payment, a contractually agreed-upon grace period is triggered, usually between seven and 15 days. If the grace period expires without a payment being made, those teams can break from their contracts, at which point MLB is expected to take over broadcasts, as they will with the Padres beginning Wednesday.

MLB has taken issue with the delay tactics that have been used throughout this process, alleging that Diamond is capitalizing off teams’ intellectual property — particularly regarding the Reds, Rangers, D-backs and Guardians — without abiding by their contractual obligations. Diamond counters that it is trying to keep all of its options open while the dust settles on bankruptcy proceedings and it gets a better handle on what it will owe and which additional streaming rights, if any, it will acquire. Some much-needed clarity on that front could come real soon.

Separately, Diamond has offered to pay all rights fees moving forward in exchange for the remaining streaming rights, sources with knowledge of the situation said. MLB, leery of giving more rights to a company that was forced into bankruptcy, has not engaged, sources said. Diamond only has the streaming rights to five of its 14 teams — the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers and Marlins. — Alden Gonzalez


MLB’s New Age of Streaming depends on … the Yankees and Red Sox?

Amid the uncertainty foisted on baseball’s entire economic landscape, the game’s haves — big-marketed and healthy RSN’d — surveyed the fallout and understood that others’ pain could significantly benefit them. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers either own their RSNs or receive massive annual payments from them, and as MLB surveys its options going forward, it’s aware that a handful of teams hold a disproportionate amount of power.

MLB’s desire to turn the failure of the RSN model into an opportunity to nationalize a streaming package with all 30 teams hinges on the willingness of all 30 teams to participate. And as one high-ranking official for a large-market team said: “Without us, there’s nobody buying the package.”

What might sound like big-market arrogance is instead a truth that smaller-market owners acknowledge — and fear. An MLB streaming package without the game’s most popular teams isn’t much of a streaming package at all. The larger markets know this, and they are ready to leverage it, with one official saying: “We’ll never give up our rights.”

While that’s the public posture, the reality is that there’s a price on everything — and the Yankees and Red Sox have established that with their own direct-to-consumer streaming services. New York’s YES Network is charging $24.99 a month or $239.99 annually, while Boston’s NESN 360 costs $29.99 and $329.99, respectively. The teams are targeting customers who are blacked out from watching games, and the success will offer a sense of fans’ willingness to stomach a price point higher than almost every streaming service, including those beyond sports.

Successful launches by the Yankees and Red Sox would make the difficulty for MLB — which is seeking streaming rights for all 30 teams so it can offer a blackout-free package — that much greater. As long as the 30-team package is MLB’s goal, the big-market teams will maintain their posture, the small-market teams will brim with frustration that the game’s already hefty financial chasm may yet grow and the league will grapple with the herculean task of trying to satisfy everyone. — Jeff Passan


Heaven is the end of blackouts in Iowa

“Is this purgatory?”

“No, it’s Iowa.”

Doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? Yet that was the analogy made by a friend from my hometown in Iowa when we got together after a recent Chicago Cubs game. He was in Chicago with his daughter to see the club their family has worshiped for generations. This club, incidentally, can rarely be watched back in southwest Iowa since the Cubs brought their television production in-house three years ago.

During the years in which we grew up, the Cubs were omnipresent via WGN on basic cable in Red Oak. Now, in order to get the Cubs there, you have to buy an expensive satellite service and add the option that includes the Cubs’ network. For many baseball fans living in rural areas, it’s not a viable path.

The thing is, with six MLB teams bordering the state, Iowa should be a baseball heaven, in reality and not just fiction. That should be true whether you live in northern Iowa and root for the Minnesota Twins, in southwest Iowa and like the Kansas City Royals, live on the Mississippi River in Keokuk and love the St. Louis Cardinals or perhaps live in the northeastern part of the state and have thrown in with the Milwaukee Brewers, Cubs or Chicago White Sox.

Instead, most sports fans in Iowa can find Royals — three hours from Red Oak — and Cardinals — 315 miles away — games on basic cable. But if a baseball enthusiast is looking for others — including games at Wrigley Field, 400 miles away — good luck.

All six MLB teams in the states bordering Iowa have long been blacked out in the Hawkeye State. It’s enough to wonder how anyone could possibly be a baseball fan and live in Iowa.

Despite it all, there are plenty of baseball fans back in Iowa, and they would love to see more. And thus my friend made another analogy when asked about the RSN crisis possibly hastening the demise of baseball’s blackout guidelines, finally making all teams available to stream. He described it as like being in East Germany, circa 1989, with the wall about to go down. — Bradford Doolittle


Will the Suns set the standard for local TV — and could anyone else follow?

The Phoenix Suns announced in late April that their games will be broadcast for free on over-the-air channels and streamed online on a new direct-to-consumer service for in-market fans, prompting speculation about whether other Diamond-owned teams could follow a similar path.

At the moment, though, they seem to be an outlier.

First, it’s important to note that the plan might not even get off the ground. Earlier this month, a U.S. bankruptcy judge blocked Phoenix’s attempt to move ahead with the deal, saying the team couldn’t yet move on from its existing agreement with Diamond.

The judge, Christopher Lopez, ruled that the new deal was void because it interfered with Diamond’s contractual right to negotiate an extension to its current deal. The Suns, on the other hand, argued that their deal expiring after the 2022-23 season meant that they could go ahead with the agreement now.

Recently hired Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein told reporters after the hearing that the Suns would work toward a way of resolving the dispute “that will be in the best interest of our fans, our community and our players.”

In the NBA and elsewhere, it’s important to understand the uniqueness of the Suns’ situation — on an expiring contract, with a relatively small RSN deal that paid them about $40 million a year, and a new, aggressive owner, Mat Ishbia, with enough liquidity to absorb financial losses in an effort to expand his team’s brand. This model, if it ultimately comes to fruition, can increase the Suns’ reach from 800,000 viewers to 2.8 million. But it is unclear how Ishbia — also owner of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, who are also part of this venture — will ultimately make money.

What this whole situation says about the state of these discussions across the NBA is that the next few months should be awfully interesting, as the league continues to try to navigate what to do with the 16 teams broadcast by Diamond last season.

MLB, meanwhile, is navigating through this in the thick of its season and holds the long-term goal of fitting streaming and broadcasting rights under one umbrella, seeing that as the best way to eventually maximize revenue.

Though they’ve kept an eye on the Suns deal, major league teams for the most part would prefer to stay with their lucrative RSN contracts for now. Even a team like the Marlins, who consistently field some of the lowest payrolls in the industry, is believed to make more on an annual basis than the Suns did.

Even once some of those RSN contracts are shed, the understanding is that they have a better chance at generating revenue by falling under the scope of MLB than they would by venturing out on their own and incurring the overhead that comes with it. Ishbia’s approach might be attempted by some major league owners — perhaps the higher-revenue Bally-operated teams — but it is not necessarily being viewed as a template. — Tim Bontemps and Alden Gonzalez


What happens in Vegas … won’t just stay in Vegas anymore

In the NHL, like in the NBA, most of the uncertainty around RSN television deals is being put off until the fall. But the Vegas Golden Knights, looking to win their first Stanley Cup, aren’t waiting until then to find out. The Golden Knights, whose deal with AT&T SportsNet ended this season, signed a multiyear deal earlier this month with Scripps Sports that will air all Vegas’ games in Nevada and four nearby states. Not included in the package are Golden Knights’ games broadcast nationally on ESPN or TNT.

That agreement, which includes a direct-to-consumer offer, kicks in for the 2023-24 season. Games will be distributed on cable, satellite and local over-the-air channels in the team’s territory.

This is the first deal Scripps Sports has made with a professional franchise since launching in December; it also launched a multi-year partnership with the WNBA in April.

The Golden Knights previously had an RSN agreement with AT&T SportsNet, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which announced months ago that it would be shutting down its local sports division. Vegas’ decision to bypass the RSN route altogether could be the start of a new trend for other NHL clubs looking to get their product in front of viewers for free. Broadcasting over local channels is more cost-effective — and could be more popular with fans — than being locked into a provider that viewers must pay separately to watch. That’s particularly true for teams in markets that don’t get as much national coverage.

Vegas is the perfect example. It’s a popular local club that’s enjoyed significant success since joining the NHL as an expansion team and beginning play in 2017. The Golden Knights can continue to boost their own profile via the Scripps contract and extend goodwill to the fanbase with a legitimate and inexpensive way to keep up with the action. — Kristen Shilton


… but another Finals team is still in the dark

The Denver Nuggets will play in their first NBA Finals beginning Thursday against the Miami Heat (8:30 p.m. ET on ABC). And the team’s arrival on the sport’s biggest stage will also shine a spotlight on the fact that fans within the team’s home market have struggled to watch them for years.

For the past four years, Altitude Sports — which is owned by Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, among several other teams — has been locked in a bitter dispute with Comcast, the largest cable provider in the state.

So while Nikola Jokic has grown into arguably the best basketball player on the planet, he remains hard to find on TV in Denver, where 2019 court filings state 92% of cable subscribers use Comcast. Since Altitude’s deal expired with the provider in 2019, Jokic has won two MVP Awards — and come close to a third — while the Nuggets are tied with the Suns for the most wins in the NBA over the past four years (194). They are one of five teams — along with the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, the Suns and the Boston Celtics — to have won more than 60% of their games over that stretch.

Though the playoffs mostly air on national television, even this postseason saw a dustup when Altitude had to lift a local blackout for a game against the Timberwolves airing on NBATV. While the two sides settled an antitrust lawsuit back in March, there still isn’t an agreement in place to air the games on Comcast, and it’s unclear if one will happen before the start of the 2023-24 season. — Tim Bontemps

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NHL playoff watch: Potential playoff matchups aplenty on Thursday night

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NHL playoff watch: Potential playoff matchups aplenty on Thursday night

It’s a typically busy Thursday night in the NHL, with 14 games on the schedule. And there are some absolute gems among those 14 contests, including several that could be run back during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The early window includes three games that could take place in either the first round of the Eastern Conference bracket or further down the road:

A little later, we’ll see a rematch of a first-round matchup from last season (that could potentially be one this season as well), as the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Winnipeg Jets (8 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+). Meanwhile, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings will square off in the first round for a third straight postseason, and those two will take the ice against one another Thursday (9 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+).

Two of the best teams in the Western Conference, the division-leading Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks, will square off Thursday (10 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+), and potentially again in the Western Conference finals.

The eyes of the hockey-loving world will be monitoring Thursday’s main event: A potential Stanley Cup Final matchup between two juggernauts, as the New York Rangers visit the Colorado Avalanche (9 p.m. ET, NHL Power Play on ESPN+).

It’ll be a busy night, with mathematical implications in the standings and psychological implications for possible matchups later this spring.

As we traverse the final stretch of the regular season, it’s time to check in on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2024 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Thursday’s schedule
Wednesday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Boston Bruins vs. WC1 Tampa Bay Lightning
A2 Florida Panthers vs. A3 Toronto Maple Leafs
M1 New York Rangers vs. WC2 Washington Capitals
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference

C1 Dallas Stars vs. WC2 Vegas Golden Knights
C2 Colorado Avalanche vs. C3 Winnipeg Jets
P1 Vancouver Canucks vs. WC1 Nashville Predators
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings


Thursday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available via NHL Power Play, which is included in an ESPN+ subscription (local blackout restrictions apply).

Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m.
New York Islanders at Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at Carolina Hurricanes, 7:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m.
San Jose Sharks at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
Vegas Golden Knights at Winnipeg Jets, 8 p.m.
New York Rangers at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers, 9 p.m.
Dallas Stars at Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Arizona Coyotes, 10 p.m.
Anaheim Ducks at Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.


Wednesday’s scoreboard

Ottawa Senators 6, Buffalo Sabres 2
Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Boston Bruins 1


Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 99
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 8
Points pace: 110
Next game: @ WSH (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 111
Next game: vs. NYI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 11
Points pace: 103
Next game: vs. WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 99
Next game: vs. NYI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 98.7%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 90
Next game: @ CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 24.5%
Tragic number: 18

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 82
Next game: vs. NJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 1.4%
Tragic number: 10

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 76
Next game: vs. CHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 7

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 76
Next game: vs. PHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 7


Metropolitan Division

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 114
Next game: @ COL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 37
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 9
Points pace: 109
Next game: vs. DET (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 82
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 9
Points pace: 92
Next game: @ MTL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 86.6%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 81
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 11
Points pace: 94
Next game: @ TOR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 65.1%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 9
Points pace: 85
Next game: @ BUF (Friday)
Playoff chances: 11.7%
Tragic number: 13

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 87
Next game: @ FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 10.8%
Tragic number: 16

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 83
Next game: vs. CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 1.2%
Tragic number: 13

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 66
Next game: @ PIT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Central Division

Points: 99
Regulation wins: 34
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 9
Points pace: 111
Next game: @ VAN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 111
Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 10
Points pace: 107
Next game: vs. VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 103
Next game: @ ARI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.8%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 91
Next game: vs. CGY (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 4.3%
Tragic number: 14

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 89
Next game: vs. SJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 2%
Tragic number: 13

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 74
Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 47
Regulation wins: 15
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 54
Next game: @ OTT (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E


Pacific Division

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 10
Points pace: 112
Next game: vs. DAL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 12
Points pace: 105
Next game: vs. LA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 11
Points pace: 101
Next game: @ EDM (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 99.3%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 86
Regulation wins: 30
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 10
Points pace: 98
Next game: @ WPG (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 94.5%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 82
Next game: @ STL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 7

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 82
Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 7

Points: 52
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 10
Points pace: 59
Next game: @ SEA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 40
Regulation wins: 12
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 11
Points pace: 46
Next game: @ MIN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

p — clinched Presidents’ Trophy
y — clinched division
x — clinched playoff berth
e — eliminated from playoff contention


Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Macklin Celebrini, a freshman at Boston University.

Points: 40
Regulation wins: 12

Points: 47
Regulation wins: 15

Points: 52
Regulation wins: 18

Points: 58
Regulation wins: 18

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 21

Points: 65
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 66
Regulation wins: 17

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 72
Regulation wins: 26

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 75
Regulation wins: 22

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 31

Points: 77
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 80
Regulation wins: 28

* The Penguins’ first-round pick was traded to the Sharks as part of the Erik Karlsson trade. However, it is top-10 protected.

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Wizards, Caps to stay in D.C. with arena upgrade

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Wizards, Caps to stay in D.C. with arena upgrade

WASHINGTON — The NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals are staying in the District of Columbia for the long term after ownership and the city reached an agreement on a $515 million arena project.

Owner Ted Leonsis and Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a letter of intent on Wednesday for the deal, which keeps the teams in the district through 2050. They announced the development at a joint news conference at Capital One Arena minutes later.

“It’s a great day, and I’m really relieved,” Leonsis said. “This was not only the right thing for the community, the right thing for the city, the right thing for us, it’s a really smart business deal.”

The project is set to include 200,000 square feet of expansion of the arena complex into the nearby Gallery Place space, the creation of an entertainment district in the surrounding Chinatown neighborhood and safety and transportation upgrades.

“We are the current home and the future home of the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards,” said Bowser, who donned a Wizards jersey. “As Ted likes to say, we’re going to be together for a long time.”

In a statement, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb said residents “could not have been louder or clearer in expressing their desire for the teams to stay.”

“This outcome will have significant positive impacts on economic development, public safety, and overall District energy and spirit generated by the millions of people who attend games, shows, and concerts at Capital One Arena,” Schwalb said.

The Council of the District of Columbia will take up the deal next week and is expected to pass it, chairman Phil Mendelson said at the news conference.

The agreement between Monumental Sports & Entertainment and the city came as Alexandria officials said talks for a new arena that would have moved the teams to Virginia had ended. Leonsis acknowledged Virginia had land as an advantage that the district didn’t.

“You’re in this arms race to build bigger and better and higher quality, and we’ve been running out of space,” Leonsis said, referencing the new entertainment community the agreement envisions that is not nearly as big as the 12 acres that were dedicated to the arena in Virginia. “But it’s enough.”

The ultrawealthy entrepreneur said he generally wanted to avoid discussing Virginia but did throw a few jabs at the state, where political divisions between Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Democrats who control the Virginia General Assembly contributed to the plan’s demise.

“You can’t do it alone, and I felt that we were really in a good partnership,” Leonsis said, “as opposed to where I thought I would have a great partnership.”

The development is a blow to Youngkin, who announced months ago with fanfare the outlines of a proposal negotiated with the teams’ parent company to bring them across the Potomac River.

In a statement on Wednesday, the governor expressed disappointment and frustration, laying blame with Democrats.

“This should have been our deal and our opportunity, all the General Assembly had to do was say: ‘thank you, Monumental, for wanting to come to Virginia and create $12 billion of economic investment, let’s work it out.’ But no, personal and political agendas drove away” the deal, he said.

Democrats responded by saying Youngkin had mismanaged the proposal from the start. House Speaker Don Scott said he was blown away by Youngkin’s statement, which Scott said seemed like it had been written by a teenager, and bristled at the suggestion that the Legislature should have given the deal an easy sign-off.

“He has lost his sense of good judgment right now,” said Scott, who had not fully endorsed the deal but expressed openness to it.

He added that from the tone of the statement, he said Youngkin might retaliate by vetoing the budget lawmakers sent him earlier this month.

Alexandria, which first announced the news, said in a statement posted to its website that it also was disappointed.

“We negotiated a framework for this opportunity in good faith and participated in the process in Richmond in a way that preserved our integrity,” the statement said. “We trusted this process and are disappointed in what occurred between the Governor and General Assembly.”

Matt Kelly, the CEO of publicly traded real estate company JBG SMITH, a partner to the Alexandria deal as the proposed developer, issued a blistering statement that laid blame on “partisan politics” and raised the prospect that “potential pay-to-play” influences had a hand in the project’s downfall.

“Beyond the arena, state and local governments will lose needed tax revenue, economic development credibility, and what could have been Virginia’s last best chance to land a professional sports franchise for at least a generation,” Kelly said.

The Virginia plan called for the creation of a $2 billion development district in the Potomac Yard section of Alexandria, with not only a new arena but also a practice facility and corporate headquarters for Monumental in addition to a separate performing arts venue.

The general assembly was asked to set up an authority that would issue bonds to finance most of the project, backed partly by the city and state governments and repaid through a mix of projected tax revenues recaptured from the development.

Youngkin and other supporters said the development would generate tens of thousands of jobs, along with new tax revenues beyond what would have been needed to cover the financing.

The plan faced opposition from labor unions, Alexandria residents concerned about traffic and District of Columbia officials who feared the loss of the teams would devastate downtown Washington.

Youngkin and other backers also failed to win over powerful Democratic Sen. L. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, who chairs the Senate’s budget-writing committee. She used that position to block the legislation, citing a range of concerns but foremost the financing structure of the deal: The use of moral obligation bonds put taxpayers and the state’s finances at risk, Lucas said.

Lucas celebrated the proposal’s demise on Wednesday. On social media, she posted a cartoon of herself swatting away a basketball with the word “REJECTED” superimposed. She wrote, “As Monumental announces today they are staying in Washington DC we are celebrating in Virginia that we avoided the Monumental Disaster!”

Leonsis had shifted his tone on social media in recent days, pointing to large crowds in Capital One Arena this month for everything from the Capitals and Wizards to ACC tournament basketball and a Zach Bryan concert. He posted Wednesday that Monumental expected over 400,000 fans to pass through turnstiles in March.

He and Bowser began talks about keeping the teams in the district not long after Virginia disclosed its offer, including through regular meetings in a posh hotel lobby, Leonsis said.

“Until 10 minutes ago, I had never signed a piece of paper,” Leonsis said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Capitals’ Bear enters player assistance program

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Capitals' Bear enters player assistance program

WASHINGTON — Washington Capitals defenseman Ethan Bear has entered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program.

Bear will be away from the team indefinitely while he receives care. The league and union, which jointly run the program, made the announcement Wednesday.

He is fifth player this season announced to be in the program after ColumbusPatrik Laine, Colorado‘s Samuel Girard and Valeri Nichushkin and former teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals put Kuznetsov on waivers after he was cleared to practice, sent him to the minors and then traded him to Carolina.

Bear, 26, has played 24 games since signing a two-year contract with Washington in December. He has been a healthy scratch for the past seven, as the team has won five of those to move into playoff position.

The Capitals recalled defenseman Vincent Iorio as well as winger Matthew Phillips after the news about Bear broke, and with three games left on Tom Wilson’s suspension. They visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

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